Can anyone here field a Session 8 question?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Legacy/Retro-question. I happened to inherit an old Session 8 system...

that is the original hardware interface box cabled to a Pmac8100/100.

I want to run it again. The Mac OS is 8.6. I ran the installer for
Digi.
Session 8; v 1.1. Fine. Then, on reboot, the extensions icon for
Session8
load appeared , "X-ed out", with the error-message "No Drive."

(SIdenote. I have no manual).

Upon startup of the Session 8 app, the openning screen appears briefly
followed by an error dialogue message that there is no "valid drive"
recognized by Session 8.

Can anyone remember what i need to do get this app to recognize its
record
HD? I just assumed that it would use the internal HD that the
application
is on...

There is an open SCSI port available on the Powermac... Did it
need to see an externally connected SCSI drive to run or...??

Otherwise, anybody got a manual?

THanks!'

Mike

 

[Gordon]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

hey there--

Hank's right about the manual--it should still be on Digi's site.

The "no drive" condition is definitely a SCSI drive issue: Early
Digidesign systems *required* that audio be recorded on an external
SCSI drive as at the time that was the only way to get the necessary
throughput. It's been a *long* time, but if I recall correctly the
drive needs to be on the Digidesign bus--the one accessed from the PCI
or NuBus card that was added to the machine, *not* the Mac SCSI bus.
Again, that's IIRC.

--Gordon Rice
Chief Engineer
Sigma Sound
Philadelphia PA

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

mike44455@aol.com wrote:
> Legacy/Retro-question. I happened to inherit an old Session 8
system...
>
> that is the original hardware interface box cabled to a Pmac8100/100.
>
> I want to run it again. The Mac OS is 8.6. I ran the installer for
> Digi.
> Session 8; v 1.1. Fine. Then, on reboot, the extensions icon for
> Session8
> load appeared , "X-ed out", with the error-message "No Drive."
>
> (SIdenote. I have no manual).
>
> Upon startup of the Session 8 app, the openning screen appears
briefly
> followed by an error dialogue message that there is no "valid
drive"
> recognized by Session 8.
>
> Can anyone remember what i need to do get this app to recognize its
> record
> HD? I just assumed that it would use the internal HD that the
> application
> is on...
>
> There is an open SCSI port available on the Powermac... Did it
> need to see an externally connected SCSI drive to run or...??
>
> Otherwise, anybody got a manual?

The Session 8 card is basically a Protools 3 card with, without the
TDM daughterboard or a dsp farm card. Like a Protools 3 system you
need to connect the scsi disk and the interface to the card. You need
a compatible DAE/Digi init combination that works with your software
too, you will be limited in how recent the software is you can use by
the speed of your mac which is why a Newertech G3 upgrade card would be
your friend. The Sonnet cards never worked right fof this stuff. The
Session 8 interface actually works as an 882 interface on versions of
Protools software up version 5.01, of you get a copy of the semi hacked
DAE "Nubus Card Kit" for your Protools 3 system somewhere.

The Session 8 software is pretty limited. I would reccommend
something like Studio Vision Pro - which supports DAE - as a good
candidate for software as it is of the period and you can find non-
copyprotected versions around. After tracking in DAE you can use the
card with the Digidesign sound driver (not with DAE) with SVP's "Acadia
drivers" and you can use older VST plug ins for effects. You are
limited to 8 tracks of I/O on the "Elvis" card (which is what they
called the thing)in DAE, but in acadia mode (with vst plugs) I think
you can get more voices, but only 2 outputs.

HTH.

Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Staff Audio / Fox News Channel / M-AES
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Thanks Gordon and Hank, the machine came to me with a PT version 4
already operable - and recognizing the Drive (internal 4G in this
case). The
card was already installed and the user had been using the Session 8
interface, but, for PT, not Session 8.

Hence, I gather then, that if I wanted to use the Session 8 i'm not
quite clear where the difference lies if the card already is connected
to and reading the
Internal HD as the 'record drive' under early this early PT version.
There's only one cabling option from the Session 8 interface box to the
soundcard, but
the card itself does not have a spare SCSI port for a separate HD...

Also did look for documentation on the site but unfortunately, not to
be found
at least, under the Legacy/Session 8 categories...

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

mike44455@aol.com wrote:
> There's only one cabling option from the Session 8 interface box to
the
> soundcard, but
> the card itself does not have a spare SCSI port for a separate HD...
>
> Also did look for documentation on the site but unfortunately, not to
> be found
> at least, under the Legacy/Session 8 categories...

FYI the Session 8 card is also called the "Protools Project Card".

http/www.digidesign.com/support/propix/ptProjectNubus.html

And the reason you can't find the "second connector" is because it's
a special Digidesign cable that goes through the little hole next to
the other connector on the card, it plugs in on the *inside* of the
card onto the circuit board slot.

I built a fully blown PTIII TDM system with 5 farm cards from a
single Project card once upon a time, expansion chassis and all (which
I should probably ebay if I finish a couple of things someday.) The
last version of PT software that had nubus code support is Version
5.01, but the DAE And Digi init were not upgraded by Digi, but the
"Nubus posse" on DAW MAC had a little "Nubus care kit" with modified
DAE/DSI that would enable the V5 software.

I you upgrade to V5.01 software and need a DAE/Digi Init combo that
will let you use it, let me know. It's unsupported, but Digidesign knew
about it and was cool with it as long as no one hassled them with
questions.

Will Miho
NY Music and TV Audio Guy
Staff A1 / Fox News Channel / M-AES
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<mike wrote:

> Legacy/Retro-question. I happened to inherit an old Session 8 system...

> that is the original hardware interface box cabled to a Pmac8100/100.

If you get this running you'd find a Newertech 300 MHz G3 card very
friendly. (I have an 8100/110 w/AM II card with one of those processor
cards, and it's a whole new Mac.)

> I want to run it again. The Mac OS is 8.6. I ran the installer for
> Digi.
> Session 8; v 1.1. Fine. Then, on reboot, the extensions icon for
> Session8
> load appeared , "X-ed out", with the error-message "No Drive."

> (SIdenote. I have no manual).

> Upon startup of the Session 8 app, the openning screen appears briefly
> followed by an error dialogue message that there is no "valid drive"
> recognized by Session 8.

> Can anyone remember what i need to do get this app to recognize its
> record
> HD? I just assumed that it would use the internal HD that the
> application
> is on...

Digi usually provided the app on one disc or set of discs, and the
authorization key(s) on another floppy. One would have to install the
app, then follow that with the key(s). Do you have all the necessary
discs?

> There is an open SCSI port available on the Powermac... Did it
> need to see an externally connected SCSI drive to run or...??

I don't think that's the issue, but I could be wrong. I got a version of
Session 8 bundled with something else I bought, but I never even opened
the box, and I've never messed with the hardware. But the error message
you're seeing suggests to me that the auth key is not installed.

> Otherwise, anybody got a manual?

Have you checked to see if it's available for downlaod at digi's site? I
do have the whole app here, with discs.

--
ha

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

WillStG wrote:
> mike44455@aol.com wrote:
> > There's only one cabling option from the Session 8 interface box to
> the
> > soundcard, but
> > the card itself does not have a spare SCSI port for a separate HD.
> And the reason you can't find the "second connector" is because
it's
> a special Digidesign cable that goes through the little hole next to
> the other connector on the card, it plugs in on the *inside* of the
> card onto the circuit board slot.
Thanks Will!
Bummerz! I thought i was good to go with this thing...( I wondered
what
the hole was for!)
So to connect the 'missing' record drive, i need that proprietary digi
cable which, theoretically was to hook up an external HD?

ANy notion of where i might find such an antiquity...as I still would
prefer to fire up and run Session 8 'as it originally was designed to
run.

Meanwhile, if i can get the cable, i presume even beyond that i must
go through some form of authorizing process with an original set of
Session 8 discs to run the app too? ?
Anybody have the cable orany ideas on how to make this happen? I
really appreciate it.

Mike

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1109706869.997422.266070@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com> willstg@aol.com writes:

> FYI the Session 8 card is also called the "Protools Project Card".

I remember when Session 8 first came out, and I don't remember there
being a ProTools at the time. There was probably a Sound Tools.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

mike44455@aol.com wrote:
> So to connect the 'missing' record drive, i need that proprietary
digi
> cable which, theoretically was to hook up an external HD?
>
> ANy notion of where i might find such an antiquity...as I still would
> prefer to fire up and run Session 8 'as it originally was designed to
> run.

Jeff Cohen over at Digidesign told a guy about a half year ago
they still had them in stock. They look like/their identifying info is
here

http/www.digidesign.com/support/propix/CableEndsSCSINuBus.html

Also you get a nice visual reference for Digidesign parts if you
just use that link up to where it says "propix".

> Meanwhile, if i can get the cable, i presume even beyond that i must
> go through some form of authorizing process with an original set of
> Session 8 discs to run the app too? ?
> Anybody have the cable orany ideas on how to make this happen? I
> really appreciate it.

If Protools 4 is authorized on your computer it should work fine,
but you get no dsp for mixing. But with Studio Vision Pro ( search and
you will find it just about in the public domain) you can use the card
to track in DAE mode 8 tracks at a time, then with the Digidesign
sound manager and the acadia drivers in SVP you will be able to use a
few vst plugins for mixing down to 2 tracks.

The real advantage of the card over say an Audiomedia II card is
you can record 8 tracks at once, and the Session 8 interface box has
headphones and inserts built in. But it is a -10 interface though.

Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Staff Audio / Fox News / M-AES
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits